


SU Exchange Gift

by EverestV



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, It will be finished soon I promise, this is a huge rushed mess and I apologize
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-05-06 20:53:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5430476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverestV/pseuds/EverestV
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5 Steven Universe prompt fills, all completely unrelated, for the SU New Years Fest 2015. Really hope you like your gift, confiscatedretina!</p>
            </blockquote>





	SU Exchange Gift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [confiscatedretina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/confiscatedretina/gifts).



> AU where Amethyst hatched? sprung up? was born? early instead of late on the Earth Kindergarten so never met the Crystal Gems. Basically she's still defected and insecure and all that, but on Homeworld. Truly a yikes for the ages. So she's a lowly foot soldier of sorts who's never seen battle, only heard the stories, and secretly longs to see her birth(?) planet again. It's gotten a lot of attention recently, whatwith this "Rebellion" and all, so when the famous (infamous?) general in charge of controlling the insurgents comes around looking for fresh troops, maybe this is Amethyst's chance to prove she's still a quartz, a valuable warrior through and through, whether she's defective or not.

“No way.” Amethyst insisted, her voice hushed as her whip threatened to slip from her fingers. “No fucking way. _The_ Jasper? The war general, Jasper? Here?!”

“Yes! That’s what I said.” Tanzanite was growing impatient, nudging at Amethyst’s whip with one of her flyssa swords. “The rebellion on that earth planet is apparently lasting longer than expected so she’s looking in on random training sessions to handpick fresh troops. She could drop in any second.”

Amethyst glanced around the training arena, searching for the large orange gem she’d only heard stories about. “Earth...that’s right...shit, what are we doing standing around then, we gotta look impressive when she gets here! You think we should just spar on the obstacle course or—”

“Oh please. We don’t have to actually _worry_ about it.” Tanzanite rolled her eyes. “She’s not gonna pick smaller gems like us, especially with you and your...well. It has nothing to do with us, really. Just don’t do anything to embarrass the squadron, that’s all I’m saying, that’s the only reason I’m bringing it up.”

“Jeez, thanks. Loving the vote of confidence.”

“Take it how you want, let’s just do some simple stuff and try to look competent at the very least. Alright?” Tanzanite raised her dual flyssa swords and got into position, bending slightly at the knees. Amethyst’s eyes narrowed but she nodded and the two resumed their sparring session.

But she was barely focusing on what her hands were doing. The only thing Tanzanite would let her do was sets they had done a hundred times over. Eventually, Amethyst relied solely on muscle memory as her thoughts drifted back toward the famed general. The stories she’d heard were impressive, passed around the mess hall with a tantalizing mix of excitement and fear: stories of single-handed victories and entire planets colonized within the week, stories of gems worked to the breaking point and quartz gems cracking on the first day of training, stories of honor and glory, practically legends.

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t care about the General visiting her own squadron, she’d be lying if she said she hoped the General would simply look past her. “Defective” or not, “premature” or “too small” or “too weak”, none of it mattered. She was still a quartz. There was still a chance. Tanzanite warned her not to humiliate herself, or her squadron, screaming after her with a voice growing more and more shrill by the second, but Amethyst didn’t listen. As soon as she heard the announcement for individual assessments, she ran off toward the opportunity. This was her chance.

\---

Standing in line had never been so abhorrent to her. Amethyst couldn’t help but bounce up and down on her heels, her gem humming in anticipation and the others around her getting more annoyed by her fidgeting. By the time it was finally her turn to step into the room, she felt like she could fight for hours.

The proctor spoke immediately. “State your gem and classification.”

“Amethyst, quartz.”

“An amethyst?” The voice over the speaker almost laughed, incredulous and high-pitched like every other high-and-mighty technician she’d ever had to meet. She glanced around the bare simulation chamber with suddenly shaky knees, wondering if the General was overhearing this. “What is your specimen number?”

“0091,”

“Hmm...’premature exposure to surface’, ‘does not meet size requirements’, ‘officially deemed defective’, you really are an amethyst. How unfortunate. We won’t be needing your services, you’re dismissed.”

Amethyst stiffened. “No, wait, please, let me just...let me show you what I can do. Please. Throw anything you have at me, any simulation. I can handle it, I swear.”

“No, that’s enough. Return to your post and send the next gem in on your way out. That is all.”

\---

It was past curfew, but Amethyst hadn’t left the training arena yet. It was too late to get specific authorization to keep waiting, the lights around her were dimmed, but the last gem in line had gone into the assessment room and...well. This was her _second_ chance. Had to be.

The last gem came out, out of breath and tense just like all the others, and didn’t bother to spare Amethyst a glance. She was used to it, but she still curled tighter in on herself at the dismissal. A few moments later, a large orange gem and a hounding teal one exited a room. Amethyst ran up.

“General, wait! Permission to voice a request, General?”

The teal technician narrowed her eyes. “You’re that defective amethyst, aren’t you? You’re disobeying direct—”

“Permission granted.” The General’s voice startled them both.

“I-I just, um,” Amethyst hadn’t exactly thought this part through. “I want another assessment opportunity seeing that I didn’t get a fair chance the first time around. If you have time. You, uh, I’m sure you’re busy. But I promise not to be a waste of your time.”

The teal gem scoffed under her breath but the other was silent for a beat. “Where should you be now, soldier?”

“East Station 58, General. Um, maintenance duty.”

“So you won’t be missed? We can do it now then. Indicolite, go and wait for me back at the barracks, this shouldn’t take too long.” The technician took her time getting over her shock before stomping off, obviously not used to being dismissed in favor of someone so beneath her. Amethyst tried her very best not to smirk too much. “Okay, Amethyst.” the General said once they were alone. “Show me what you got.”

Amethyst straightened at the sound of her name but hesitated. “Uh, is there a certain simulation you want me to start up, General?”

“No, none of that play-pretend shit. Come at me, don’t hold back.” With a challenging grin, the orange gem turned to one of the weaponry walls and drew a large broadsword from the rack. When she turned back around, Amethyst still hadn’t moved. “I’m completely serious, soldier, draw your weapon. I thought you wanted to prove yourself.”

“Well I didn’t expect...I know I won’t be able to beat you, General, I don’t know many gems who would even have a chance against you.”

“Let’s take winning and losing out of the equation. I just want to see how you handle yourself.” The larger gem summoned her weapon, a protruding crash helmet, before grinning widely. “Try and stay on your feet, soldier.”

Amethyst barely had time to draw her whip before the other gem charged at her, striking the ground with a heavy swing of her sword. Amethyst had jumped up and away from where the sword struck, from the very spot she had just stood. She counterattacked sloppily and the larger gem spun around to block it easily.

“Tell me you don’t rely solely on evasive maneuvers, soldier! Thought you had something better to show me!” Amethyst’s eyes narrowed at the gem’s taunts and forced herself to focus. She threw herself into a ball and dashed forward, avoiding sword strikes and ricocheting off the walls, jabbing at the larger gem from any and all angles. “Hmph. A quartz move if I ever saw one. But you have to be more direct than this.” One of the sword strikes hit and Amethyst flew off course. “Trying to tire out a bigger enemy isn’t a winning strategy, it’s just buying time.”

“You’re the one who said this wasn’t about winning,” Amethyst rose from the crouch she landed in, sizing up her opponent's slow gait and lowered sword. “Just staying on my feet.”

“Someone’s learning.” Another wide grin, the very ghost of the curve drifting into pale gold eyes. Then, before the gem could charge forward with her sword again, Amethyst threw her whip forward and made it wrap around the blade, holding fast and steady as she raised her arm and brought it down powerfully, sending a wave of electric force down her whip. In an explosion of smoke and pieces of the floor, the larger gem skidded backward and Amethyst rushed forward to meet her.

Then the two were really sparring. Blade met weighted crystal over and over again, the sounds of their clashing reverberating against the walls, as the gems stretched and strained out of their usual range. Amethyst was throwing her whole body into it, backing every slash and thrust with her entire weight while trying to keep herself from being too rooted to the ground. All the exercises Tanzanite and the other gems in her squadron tried to drill into her head were suddenly meaningless. _Real_ opponents, enemies on the battlefield, wouldn’t conform their fighting styles to a certain set of etiquette or rules. Anyone’s next move could never really be anticipated or expected, there was no such as direct cause and effect or a “correct” reaction. There’s was also no wiggle room. You couldn’t just zone out, all your focus had to be completely concentrated on the battle in front of you or else—

Amethyst aimed her whip too high and Jasper’s sword came slicing through it, tearing the weapon in half and sending the smaller gem feigning backward. Then Jasper swung low, knocking Amethyst off her feet. She didn’t have time to recover. Because then Jasper’s foot was digging into her stomach, pinning her to the floor, and Jasper’s sword was poised directly over her gem. Neither moved.

“Well. I guess that’s that.” Jasper said simply before standing and putting back the sword, dismissing her helmet with a flick of her wrist. “If anyone questions you about being late down at E-58, just mention I was the one to hold you up, alright? I’m sure they’ll understand.”

Amethyst was frozen on her back on the floor for a beat before she sprang up and attempted to follow the retreating gem. “Wait! Did I...did I make it? Did I pass your test?”

Jasper glanced over her shoulder and offered an almost childish, mischievous grin. “You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow, PT.”

\---

Amethyst had been restless ever since last night. She hadn’t said much of a word to anyone other than muttering Jasper’s name and rank to her superiors once she got to her post. She couldn’t stop thinking about the fight; the thrill, the speed, the energy, the fluidity. Everything about it had made sense and yet...nothing did at the same time. She still couldn’t believe Jasper had even—

“Excuse the interruption.” Obediently, all heads in the mess hall looked up in unison. “The following gems have been reassigned to General Jasper’s battalion. If your name is called, step forward to receive further instruction. Calcite 0433, Dolomite 0165, Fluorapatite 0057...” _It’s alphabetical. They completely skipped over the As. Fuck!_ Amethyst stopped listening, as did others who had obviously been passed over. After a while, though, one name was being repeated. “Purple Topaz 0091...Purple Topaz 0091?” _The specimen number...that’s just a coincidence, right?_

But then a hand rested on her shoulder and she looked up to find Jasper grinning down at her, that same childish, mischievous grin. “What’s the matter, PT? Forgot your name?”

_Am...am I really going back...?_

**Author's Note:**

> quartz bonding!!! wooh!!! ...kinda want to write more for this AU? whoops?


End file.
